The Hindu : Sport : AIFF rules out review of relegation

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Sunday, May 29, 2005

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AIFF rules out review of relegation

Special Correspondent

To introduce professional league by 2006 or the next year

Mr. Munsi said the Nehru Cup international tournament would be revived from this year. "We have been asked by the AFC not to go in for a big tournament."

KOZHIKODE: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Saturday ruled out any review on its decision to relegate four teams from the just concluded National Football League and to conduct the next edition with just 10 teams.

Addressing a press conference here, the AIFF president, Priya Ranjan Das Munsi, categorically stated, "our decision in this regard is final. We are not going to have any review on this front as the decision was taken with the aim of introducting a professional league in 2006 or the next year."

He said the AIFF was under pressure from both FIFA and AFC to introduce a professional league in the country at the earliest and the AIFF executive would discuss the issue at its next meeting on June 8.

Task force

It is proposed to consititute a task force to study the whole matter and ask them to come out with concrete proposals. The selection of clubs to be admitted to the proposed professional league would be based on many factors. Each club, to be inducted, would have to have a training and practice field, under its ownership or on lease, five to ten years of sound financial backing from a sponsor, a professional management, a technical wing and a youth side, he said.

The June 8 meeting will also decide on the marketing aspects of the game in the country for the next 10 years. Already, G-Sports (a Liverpool-based company), NDTV, Espn-Star and Leisure Sports Management, have submitted their bids. "A final decision will, however, be taken only after negotiating with the top two bidders."

Besides this, the meeting would also review the participation of foreign players in the NFL. "We have to have more quality players from abroad so as to make the NFL more attractive. Clubs should consider appointing foreign players only through a licenced agent as it being done elsewhere," Mr. Munsi said.

Reviving Nehru Cup

Mr. Munsi said the Nehru Cup international tournament would be revived from this year. "We have been asked by the AFC not to go in for a big tournament. And going by its advice, we have decided to have a short series comprising three or four teams from abroad besides India. The tournament when revived will be hosted by Kerala."

The next Santosh Trophy will also be held in Kerala. It will be held in Kochi from the first week of November, as the KFA had requested.

Mr. Munsi also announced that Kozhikode has been selected as the best venue among those cities which hosted the just concluded NFL. A cash prize of Rs. 1 lakh would be awarded to the local organising committee through the Kerala Football Association. "We need to keep the local organisers motivated. Obviously, it would be awarded in the coming years as well."

ONGC chairman, Subir Rana, who was present, said that he has requested the AIFF to consider a one-off match between the champion club of Sudan (where ONGC has a sizeable presence) and the winner of the ONGC Super Cup and that a positive response was expected at the June 8 meeting of the AIFF executive.

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